Working From Home During Virus? Beware of 'Zoombombs'

An elementary school principal sets up a Zoom class for students to learn art in Meridian, Miss., on March 24, 2020. (Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star via AP)

(Newser)
–
As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, people stuck at home have taken to using videoconferencing apps to hold work meetings and chat with family and friends. One such app that's become ubiquitous: Zoom, founded by Cisco engineer Eric Yuan. But be careful before you log in for that virtual happy hour: The FBI is now warning users of the app that hackers are "hijacking" it, citing two recent incidents in Massachusetts. And the interruptions aren't merely annoying disruptions: Brad Garrett, an ex-FBI agent, says that Zoom has also become a ripe target for cybercriminals, who often want to steal corporate proprietary data, as well as personal info on individuals. "As more schools and businesses work remotely, this creates an ideal environment for cyber thieves," he tells ABC News. More on "Zoombombing" and other related issues from around the internet:

Recode details the "lax security" that's led to Zoom's current dilemma, including a workaround that allowed hackers to generate ID numbers to allow them to join meetings they weren't invited to. "The fact that it is so easy for anyone to join and then disrupt a public Zoom meeting at all indicates that Zoom's developers didn't anticipate the ways those meetings could be disrupted in the first place—something that anyone who has used the internet before really should have foreseen," the site notes.